Skirt hanger



March 13, 1962 A. MICHUN 3,024,954

SKIRT HANGER Original Filed Sept. 9, 1959 @4 5 ALEX /V/c/M/N BY @mind @rfa/ ATTORNEYS Unite.. L States Patent O 4 ciaims. (ci. 223-95) This application is a continuation of my pending application, Serial No. 839,031, tiled September 9, 1959, now abandoned.

This invention relates to garment haners and particularly to hangers for garments of a tubular character such as skirts.

Such hangers need to be of adjustable length to be adaptable to skirts of various sizes. They extend across the open top and have end pieces which frictionally engage under outwardly expansive pressure in the waist band of the skirt. For this purpose the hangers are usually extensible and have two arms, at least one of which is slidable under outward spring tension, and a housing within which the slidable arm or arms slide and are guided.

The housing is generally provided with a centrally disposed hook for engaging on a pole or rod, and it is desirable that this hook be at all times centered with respect to the ends of the arms in order that the weight on opposite sides of the hook be balanced. For this purpose it is desirable that both arms be slidable and that they be constrained to equal extension from the housing.

It is an object of this invention to provide a hanger of this character which is expansible under spring tension and which is constrained to maintain the hook central of the ends under all expansive conditions.

Other objects are simplicity, economy and durability in construction, and reliability and facility in operation. Still other objects and advantages will appear from the following description.

In accordance with the invention, the two arms are operatively coupled so as to be constrained to move equally and oppositely with respect to the transverse center of the hanger. The arms are spring biased outwardly and the coupling between the arms is such that spring tension applied to one arm is transmitted through the coupling to the other arm.

Stop means are provided to limit the outward move- Ament of the arms and the spring tension tends to cause the arms to assume this outermost position. A movement either inward or outward of one arm causes the other arm to move similarly an equal amount while maintaining an outward spring tensioned bias of both arms.

Preferably the coupling is eiected through gearing. The arms overlap in the housing one above the other and are coupled by a rack and pinion construction. One of the arms is placed under outward spring tension and this tension is transmitted to the other arm in an opposite direction through the rack and pinion coupling.

The invention comprehends other advantages and features of construction as will appear from the following description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings to which reference is now made.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hanger embodying the invention, showing the arms fully extended.

FIG. 2 is a plan of the same but with the arms in their innermost position.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal, sectional elevation on line 3 3 of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged transverse sections ICC on lines 4 4, 5 5, 6 6 and 7 7, respectively, of FIG. 3.

The illustrated hanger comprises a two part housing, two movable arms slidable in the housing, a pinion mounted on a stud on one of the side walls of the housing, an elongated coiled spring and a hook. While the parts may be composed of any suitable material, they are preferably molded from plastic except the hook which is metal.

The housing is an elongated enclosure composed of two substantially similar side members 11 and 12 secured together by rivets. Each side is tlanged about its edge so as to provide a closed top and bottom and a partial closure for each end. Substantially one half of each end is open to the interior of the housing, and these openings are reversed with respect to each other, the one at the left end wall as shown in the drawings being in the bottom half and the one at the right end being in the upper half. A central raised portion 13 is provided on the top of the housing formed of two mating extensions, and a semicylindrical recess is formed in each half with an enlargement at its inner end and a hook 14 with an enlargement at its inner end is retained in the tubular opening formed by the junction of the two recesses, being free to swivel therein.

An arm is slidably mounted in each of the end openings, the left arm being numbered l5 and the right arm 16. These arms and the guide means for them will now be described.

Since the end openings are out of line, the arms are out of line. The outer end of each arm has a hem engaging head, these heads being numbered 17 and 18, respectively. These heads are offset from the longitudinal axes of their arms so as to bring them in the same horizontal relation, the head 17 being oiset upward and the head X8 being oiset downward.

The arm 15 is full width for a portion of its length at the outer end and is narrowed at its inner end, forming a shoulder 19. As shown in FIG. 4, the full width portion is I-shape in cross section, the side grooves being closed at their inner ends by ribs 2i). These grooves widen at their outer or head end, the top flanges flaring up. The end wall flanges of the housing have a similar inward curve terminating in a rivet boss 21. Therefore when the arm 1S is in its innermost position its curved top tits into the curve of the end wall, and the rivet boss 21 is spaced from the bottom ilanges of the housing by the width of the arm so that the arm is guided between them. A boss 22 on the outer end of each side Wall in this space serve as stops by engaging the ribs 20 and limiting the outward movement of the arm.

The shoulder 19 is on the under side of the arm 15, the inner end of the arm being relatively narrow and having gear teeth on its upper edge and constituting a rack. Inward flanges 23 on the faces of the side walls extend from the right end wall parallel to the bottom wall and form therewith a spring housing as will presently appear. These flanges 23 are located to form a bottom guide for the reduced inner end of arm 15, while a boss 24 on each side wall (one being shown) cooperate to form a top guide for the toothed end of the arm. The` arm is of a length to extend substantially to the right end of the housing in its innermost position.

In the space between the flanges 23 and the bottom of the housing is disposed an elongated coiled spring 25. This spring is compressed in the position of the parts shown in FIG. 3 and exerts an expansive force on the shoulder 19, bearing with its other end against the right end wall. Unless restrained, therefore, the arm 15 will slide out until the rib 20 engages the stop 22, which is the position shown in FIG. l.

The right arm 16 is in large part a counterpart of arm i5, having also a full width outer l-shape portion, and a reduced inner end with a continuous top edge. Being however the reverse of arm 15, it has the lower edge of its reduced portion toothed, thus constituting a cooperative rack. In its innermost position the reduced inner end of arm 16 extends substantially to the left end wall of the housing and largely overlaps the wide portion of arm 15. As with the left end wall, the right end wall curves in, ending in a rivet boss 26, and the expanded outer end of arm 16 is similarly curved to fit into the curve of the end wall.

Both the left end of the bottom wall and the right end of the top wall terminate short of the respective extreme ends of the housing. As seen in FIG. 3, this allows for the upward are of the outer end of the flanged top of arm 16 when the arm is in its innermost position.

Bosses 2'7 on the side walls are disposed at the right end of the respective walls and extend in the respective side grooves of the full width portion of arm 16 and serve as stops, comparable to stops 22, engaging the shoulder 23 at the inner ends of the grooves and limiting the outward movement of arm 16. The parts are proportioned and positioned so that when they are assembled the stop 27 engages shoulder 28 at the same time that stop 22 engages rib 2t) in the position shown in PIG. 1.

The arm i6 is guided between the top franges of the sides 11 and 12 and the boss 26 throughout its full width portion and bosses Z9 on the side walls throughout its rack portion. The length of arm 16 is such that its inner end is close to the left end wall of the housing when the arm is in its innermost position.

The rack portions of arms and 16 occupy somewhat more than half their length so that the racks overlap at their inner ends when the arms are in their innermost positions. At its transverse center midway between the pitch lines of the racks the side l1 is provided with a stud 3% of a length to span the space between sides 1 1 and 12, and a pinion 31 is rotatably disposed on this stud. This pinion is of a size to mesh with both racks, as shown in FiG. 3.

Thus there is provided a rack and pinion coupling7 between the arms and the arms are under constant outward spring tension through the action of a single spring. The hook 1d will always be centered and the arms will automatically adjust themselves to 'the skirt size under continuous expansive force. rThe pinion and rack coupling is reversible so that an inward pressure on one head will cause each arm to bei retracted against the expansive force of spring 25.

lt will be understood that various changes may be made in the construction shown in the drawings and above particularly described within the principle and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger comprising an elongated housing with side and end walls constituting a guide frame and having a guide opening in each of said end walls, said openings being on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the housing, two oppositely extending flat hanger arms, one arm being slidably disposed in each of said guide openings, the inner ends of said arms overlapping in a common plane within said housing, and the inner end of one of said arms having a shoulder, gear teeth on the proximate edges of said arms, said gear teeth constituting opposing racks, a pinion gear rotatably mounted within said housing in engagement with said racks, and a coil spring in the housing extending from one of said end walls to said shoulder and being in align` ment with the path of the displacement of one of the hanger arms, said coil spring being operative to yieldingly bias said arms outwardly from said housing in opposite directions.

2. A garment hanger comprising an elongated housing with side and end walls constituting a guide frame and having a guide opening in each of said end walls, said openings being on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of said housing, two oppositely extending flat hanger arms, one arm being slidably disposed in each of said guide openings with the inner ends of said arms overlapping in a common plane within said housing, gear teeth on the proximate edges of said arms, said gear teeth constituting opposing racks, a pinion gear rotatably mounted in said housing in mesh with said racks, and an elongated coil spring disposed within said housing parallel to said hanger arms and operative to yieldingly bias said hanger arms outwardly from said housing in opposite directions.

3. A garment hanger comprising an elongated housing with side and end walls constituting a guide frame and having a guide opening in each of said end walls, said openings being on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of said housing, two oppositely extending at hanger arms, one arm being slidably disposed in each of said guide openings with the inner ends of said arms overlapping in a common plane within said housing, gear teeth on the proximate edges of said arms, said gear teeth constituting opposing racks, a pinion gear rotatably mounted in said housing in mesh with said racks, and an elongated coil spring mounted within said housing parallel to said hanger arms with one end thereof in engagement with said housing and the other end thereof in engagement with one of said hanger arms, said spring being operative to yieldingly bias said arms outwardly from said housing in opposite directions.

4. A garment hanger as defined by claim 3 in which interengaging means between said housing and said hanger arms are provided by which the outward movement of said arms under the iniluence of said spring is limited.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,410,411 Scofield Mar. 21, 1922 2,828,897 Gordon Apr. 1, 1958 2,919,839 Burns Jan. 5, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 823,936 Great Britain Nov. 18, 1959 

